The Los Angeles Lakers continue to dominate the competition, especially against teams that are above .500. Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Lakers played host to the New York Knicks a team that has all the ingredients to make a deep postseason run.
Los Angeles has been one of the best teams on both sides of the floor during their run, but they ran into their first real bit of adversity as New York’s physicality took them out of the game at times. The Knicks led for most of the evening, but a late-game charge from the Lakers allowed them to force overtime.
In the extra period, L.A. took the lead first and never looked back despite opportunities for New York to retake control of the game. However, a Jalen Brunson injury in the closing minutes plus some clutch free throw shooting ended up being jut enough for the Lakers to eke out a 113-109 victory.
Luka Doncic was the driving force behind Los Angeles’ comeback efforts as he came up clutch in late-game situations to close the gap. Doncic started the evening off hot from the perimeter, burying deep jumpers to give the Lakers an early lead before the Knicks wrestled control from them.
At certain points of the night, Doncic got visibly frustrated with how the officials were calling the game though he did take advantage of some favorable foul calls to do damage at the free throw line. Doncic shined in the overtime period, though, scoring a quick five points to give Los Angeles a lead they never gave back.
Doncic led the Lakers in scoring with 32 points, but added 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
LeBron James was just as impactful offensively as Doncic, though most of his scoring came in the painted area. Although New York played James close and physical, the King was still able to find creases in their defense to attack the basket.
Like Doncic, James was able to help secure the game at the free throw line. In overtime, James nailed clutch free throws to ensure the Knicks couldn’t come back. Overall, James contributed 31 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and one block.
With Austin Reaves struggling in his return from injury, Gabe Vincent stepped up in the fourth quarter to give L.A. a lift offensively. Vincent scored all 12 of his points from the 3-point line, going 4-for-4 and nailing some big ones to give the Lakers life in the fourth quarter.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers now hit the road and will take on the Boston Celtics in the primetime slot on Saturday.
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